The story behind gorgeous photo of poodles in the forest

Rick Olsen has two photogenic poodles. And a good eye for some spectacular light in the forest.

Olsen of Camano Island shared this photo of his two standard poodles in our reader photosgallery. It caught my eye, so I dropped him a line to ask about it. Here’s what he said.

Where did you take the photo?

I took the photo on my property on Camano Island. I have 20 acres of mostly woods through which I have a system of paths and trails where I walk my dogs every day.

Tell me a bit about how you took it.

I walk my dogs on my property every morning, and I’m in the habit of always having one of my cameras with me. It was very foggy as we started out, but the fog was burning off as our hike proceeded. As we were coming down the hill and around the bend, into an area of swordferns, the sunlight was breaking through the trees. My dogs are in the habit of running ahead, but never too far ahead. As I saw the sun’s rays breaking through onto the trail ahead of me – I called for the dogs, who came back around on the trail to see what I was up to. I gave a command to “stay” and “sit” as they approached me on the trail: the ever-obedient Indy sat down, and Dusty stood still for just long enough for me to take the shot.

Are those your dogs? Tell me a bit about them?

Yes, these are my dogs – both poodles. The black poodle is “Indy” – a 12-year-old standard, and the white poodle is “Dusty” – a 6-year-old miniature. They are not “foo-foo” poodles, but – as we live on 20 acres – they are very outdoorsy farm poodles; they love to run and play in the woods and fields. These are wonderful dogs!

What sort of editing did you do on the photo?

I brought the photo into Photoshop and warmed it up.

What do you really like about this photo?

I like the photo because it portrays the essence of my daily walks with my dogs: the companionship we share, and the quiet beauty of my property with its swordferns and sunlight (and so much more.) It is peaceful, quiet and beautiful – every day. This was just one moment of many over the years, but I feel it captures the mood and essence of them all.

How long have you been a photographer?

I’ve been taking photographs all my life. My father always had cameras around and as I grew up I developed a compulsion to capture moments of life with photographs. This compulsion never subsided: my current photography portfolio can be seen at www.rickography.com.